Sky is the restrict! Planet Marathi Founder Akshay Bardapurkar talks about his massive plans for the OTT

In 2021, Akshay Vilas Bardapurkar launched the world’s first Marathi OTT platform known as Planet Marathi, backed by Vistas Media Capital, a Singapore-based firm investing in media and leisure ventures throughout the globe. The formidable go-getter has massive plans for the fledgling enterprise. Senior journalist Jyothi Venkatesh catches up with the founder and CMD of Planet Marathi OTT Akshay Vilas Bardapurkar for a chat on the situation for Over The High platforms in India.

How powerful was it so that you can launch your individual OTT Planet Marathi?

It was fairly powerful within the sense that we began it through the peak of the pandemic however we managed to tug it off since we’re the very first Marathi OTT platform to emerge available in the market. Planet Marathi OTT powered by Vistas Media Capital, has given the world it’s first-ever, solely Marathi OTT platform, now accessible worldwide on the Planet Marathi OTT App. Planet Marathi OTT started by inexperienced lighting 5 refreshingly new unique exhibits. The Planet Marathi OTT App launched with the discharge of those exhibits on 31st August 2021.

Did it’s a must to persuade Madhuri Dixit to officiate on the launch of Planet Marathi?

Madhuri Dixit has been one of many main actresses within the Hindi movie trade for the final three and a half many years. Being a Marathi mulgi at coronary heart, she has immense love and fondness for the Marathi viewers and content material. Her debut in Marathi movies was marked with the tremendous hit movie Bucket Record. The actress grew to become the official first consumer of Planet Marathi App as she was the one to hit the stay button and launch the Planet Marathi OTT App. And identical to that, the world is now able to witness wonderful Marathi movies, internet collection and entertaining content material on their very personal Planet Marathi OTT App.

Madhuri Dixit Nene and Akshay Vilas Bardapurkar on the launch of Planet Marathi OTT

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What’s the avowed purpose of Planet Marathi?

To carry promising content material, significant leisure for each section of Marathi viewers! With the launch of our personal indigenous app, our choices will now attain internationally to each consumer who loves watching Marathi content material. Our Planet Marathi Authentic exhibits are particularly curated for internet collection binge-viewers who love fast-paced, significant, and thrilling content material. We now have created our content material with the perfect filmmakers, proficient artists and our simply accessible app! The leisure expertise goes to be thrilling as a result of Marathi followers have by no means witnessed such range and engagement in Marathi content material earlier than!

Did the pandemic profit you as an entrepreneur?

You’ll be able to say that I did develop into a beneficiary of the pandemic. The pandemic began the day our movie AB & CD was launched throughout Maharashtra and although I had no different different however to droop the distribution of my movie, I used to be fortunate that the main OTT platform Amazon Prime Video got here ahead to purchase the streaming rights of my movie at a worth which enabled me to get well all the price of my manufacturing and I received again the cash that I had invested on the movie from Amazon although the lockdown had began and my movie didn’t make any cash in any respect on the field workplace. I had made the Marathi movie Rege earlier earlier than AB & CD.

What triggered the thought in you to launch your individual OTT platform?

After I noticed the large response to the Marathi internet collection Samaantar, which was streamed on the OTT platform MX Participant, I made a decision to go in for my very own OTT platform. It concretized my determination to provide you with my very own OTT Platform. Planet Marathi has already made round eight standard internet collection together with the online collection Anuradha with actor Tejaswini Pandit.

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Do you have got another plans of creating Marathi movies within the close to future?

I’m all set to provide a mega budgeted historic movie known as Mughalmardini Chhatrapati Tararani directed by Rahul Janardhan Jadhav on a funds of 24 crores. The movie stars Sonalee Kulkarni within the title position.

Your good friend and actor Swwapnil Joshi has additionally began his personal OTT platform. Do you take into account it a menace?

Why take into account it as a menace? Quite the opposite, I’m pleased that he has additionally joined the sport. I’ll make an internet collection for Swwapnil’s OTT and he may additionally act in a movie that might be produced by me within the close to future.

Have you ever confronted criticism for any unconventional content material on Planet Marathi?

Sure. I used to be trolled for streaming a daring internet collection of a girl who units out to stay with not only one however two completely different males. It was not related earlier however is immediately.

Do you suppose cinema faces an existential menace from OTT?

In no way! Marathi movies like Jhimma, Pandu and Pawankhind are operating in theatres in a giant approach after the theatres had been reopened. Take it from me; theatrical exhibition will at all times do higher any day than the OTT platforms. Mainly, immediately there are completely different sorts of audiences. Leisure can also be a necessity of human beings and types do change through the years. OTT is a further medium and you may make cash by promoting to an OTT platform along with releasing your movie in theatres.

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Can producers be denied the fitting to promote the movies to an OTT platform earlier than they’re launched in theatres?

Producers can’t be denied the fitting to promote their movies to OTT platforms earlier than launch.

Do you suppose regional exhibits have the potential to do higher on OTT platforms than Hindi ones?

Narcos, Cash Heist and many others. are additionally regional exhibits from overseas. On this sport, no one is the loser and it’s at all times the viewers who’s the winner.

Our fundamental purpose is to succeed in numerous audiences by streaming a very good internet collection that may tempt even a Bengali OTT platform like Hoichoi or a Tamil OTT platform like Solar Subsequent to method us with the provide to dub our personal Marathi internet collection like Anuradha into Bengali or Tamil and stream them on their very own respective OTT platforms.

What’s your method if you purchase the rights of movies on your OTT Platform?

I purchase the streaming rights for my OTT platform for 7 or 10 or 15 years and even lifelong in some circumstances. Although I offered my movie to Amazon Prime Video by an aggregator, there are international platforms like Netflix that won’t purchase from you straight. I’m open to any producer in India strolling in to my workplace to pitch his movie for Planet Marathi OTT.

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What do you consider the OTT situation immediately? Do you suppose it’ll make inroads in an even bigger approach tomorrow?

OTT is in truth the author’s medium simply as cinema is that of the director and TV that of the producer. However then OTT too has its personal limitations, fund-wise. All of it is dependent upon the zone you want and the requirement. However all stated and carried out, I’d under no circumstances hesitate to state that OTT is certainly the circle of hope for tomorrow.

What sort of a library does Planet Marathi OTT boast of at the moment?

At present, Planet Marathi OTT App has a wealthy content material library of over a 1000+ hours’ value of binge-worthy content material that may tantalize the Marathi viewers. It consists of movies, internet exhibits, performs, music, karaoke and a lot extra. The very best factor about unique content material in Marathi is that the content material is refreshingly unique, entertaining and curated for the viewers’s likability. Planet Marathi has bundled the entire choices in a subscription price of only a rupee per day!  The annual subscription price is simply Rs 365 and the pre-launch subscription provide made it much more pocket-friendly by giving an annual plan at Rs 199 for a 12 months. On 31st August 2021, Planet Marathi OTT introduced a brand new period of leisure within the Marathi trade!

The Planet Marathi Authentic exhibits launched with the launch of this app had been particularly, ‘Sopa Nasata Kaahi’ – a romantic comedy; ‘Hing Pustak Talwar’ a lightweight comedy a few group of associates; ‘Bap Beep Bap’ an emotional household drama about father son relationships; ‘Jobless’ a criminal offense thriller about an accused fraudster struggling to show his innocence; and a fantasy thriller ‘Parees’ that revolves round superstitions and tremendous naturals. We had additionally launched an fringe of the seat thriller like Anuradha.

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For my part, Planet Marathi OTT is strictly what world residents of Maharashtrian origin had been ready for! Marathi content material will not should compete in opposition to Hollywood and Hindi content material for consideration on OTT platforms the place Marathi is a secondary language. This App is actually defining its tagline ‘Ma Maanacha Ma Marathicha’ with the choices.

Inform us one thing about your newest Marathi movie Pondicherry

Pondicherry starring Saie Tamhankar, Vaibhav Tatwawadi, Amrita Khanvilkar, Mahesh Majrekar, Neena Kulkarni, Gaurav Ghatnekar and Tanmay Kulkarni has been produced by Planet Marathi in affiliation with Artistic Vibe. It’s the first ever Marathi movie shot on a smartphone.

That are your forthcoming tasks on the anvil?

My upcoming tasks embrace the Marathi movie ‘Goshta Eka Paithanichi’ starring Sayali Sanjeev and Subrat Joshi and directed by Shantanu Ganesh Rode. The movie has been delayed within the making due to the lockdown although the teaser was launched in Could 2020. I’ve additionally produced my fourth Marathi enterprise Chandramukhi based mostly on Vishwas Patil’s novel. Actress Kranti Redkar is all set to collaborate with me for her upcoming directorial enterprise, Rainbow. It should star Prasad Oak, Urmila Kothare, Sonalee Kulkarni and Rishi Saxena within the lead roles. With Rainbow, viewers will have the ability to expertise the colorful journey of immediately’s relationships. Tamasha Dwell, Crypto Ajji, Sunny are the opposite movies to be produced by me.